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Can anyone identify this pistol shrimp species?


Lou.B
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I bought this pistol shrimp with a pinkbar (aurora) goby as a 'bonded' pair. They couldn't name the shrimp species in the LFS (at least they were upfront about not being sure, and apparently there are quite a few species). I'd love to know, and I've been all over the internet, and there are plenty of pics of of other species that seem more common and easily identified, but I could only find one pic that even closely resembled mine, and it was identified only as a 'pistol shrimp', without naming the species. Interestingly enough, my pair don't seem particularly 'bonded'. They seem amicable enough, but the goby spends most its time at the entrance to the 'main' burrow, while the pistol shrimp spends most of its time roaming around and under the live rock, or out into the tank sandbed, on its own, only rarely spending a few minutes here and there in any proximity to the goby. I wonder if this is a good match, and identifying the species might help me determine this. BTW, this particular shrimp doesn't appear to have the poor eyesight the literature describes in general for pistol shrimps-it can see me approaching from halfway across the room, and always reacts to the slightest move I make from near or far (I think it actually sees better than the goby-lol). This is my first tank, and though I still have a lot to learn, I really love my new hobby. Have a 16-gallon Nuvo Nano Reef, already thinking of adding the new Nuvo 30; just trying to figure out which piece of furniture has to go to make room for it :-)


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Invertebrates

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Photo Information

  • Taken with NIKON COOLPIX P310
  • Focal Length 4.3 mm
  • Exposure Time 1/8
  • f Aperture f/2.8
  • ISO Speed 500
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Alpeus immaculatus, often called the Anemone Pistol Shrimp, by the looks of it.

Many thanks for the "i.d."! Spot on, and it explains a lot. Now I can make an informed decision about how to address this situation, instead of just wondering what the heck was going on (of course they won't bond-the shrimp is probably wondering "where the heck is my anemone?", and the goby is probably wondering "where the heck did you find this shrimp?"-lol). Such kind and informed responses (and wonderful reefing communities like this in general), are going to go a long way towards keeping this 'newbies' tank and its inhabitants alive. Hopefully, with the information and support I am finding here, I can progress things from the 'alive' to the 'thrive' column :-) Thanks so much again! (btw, IMO, it is one the most beautiful pistol shrimps I've seen, and despite not being able to bond with my goby as I had hoped, I find its behaviors are quite fascinating-could watch it for hours!)

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Thanks for your comment! Most of that is actually due to my newly identified anemone pistol shrimp! The sand hardly has time to stay anything but fairly clean, as the shrimp has literally turned over every single pound of sand in this tank several times since its been there (releasing loads of pods, and whatever else, in the process, to the delight of the fish, who go a mini feeding frenzies when the shrimp gets to work). Even though it's only a 16 gallon, I still think that's a lot of sand for a 1 1/2 inch long animal to manage, but it seems more than up to the task; it's absolutely relentless, and wonderful to observe. Thanks again!

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